Alex Britti
Mojo

Finally, Alex Britti manages to produce the best he could propose: Mojo, an all-instrumental album of "blues and beyond." Thirty years after his recording debut (although the first work was released by mistake), Alex continues his process of breaking free from the radio hit chase, pursued from 1998's "Solo una volta (o tutta la vita)" to 2011's "Immaturi," by releasing an album where his guitar skills can finally be fully heard, without having to catch them between one song and another. Ten tracks mostly of blues, but where hints of jazz, funk, and rock are not missing. The experimental "S-funk" opens, where blues evolves and confronts funk and nu jazz, creating an effective mix. "Sotto il cielo di Amsterdam" has a Latin jazz flavor, especially in the finale. The title effectively explains the atmospheres of Northern Europe. With "Insomnia," we lean more towards fusion, and effects and dissonances are not lacking. "Dolce Sveva" also evokes Nordic atmospheres, but here there are also hints of classical music and jazz becomes welcoming and soft. "Il treno per Roma" is clearly blues, the theme opens up to an international breath and it feels like seeing the streets of Texas. This is clearly also the case in the subsequent "West e Co.," where the blues becomes almost country, and it's impossible not to think of Sergio Leone's western films. After America, we return to Italy with "Tuscany," also more Latin, like track 2, with a sound reminiscent of Paco De Lucia. "Respiro" is the most electronic track on the album, as well as the most fusion. The mix between traditional and electronic instruments is well balanced. "Mojo," the title track, or the magic, is the best of the album, in the opinion of the writer. A blues that intertwines with gospel where the guitar melody almost "sings." The grand finale is entrusted to "Adrenalina," a track nomen omen, where the phrases of pure and energetic blues represent the victory lap of this album.

Alex had already distanced himself from Universal after the 2011 Best of, founding It.pop, the label that carries the name of his first true album; and already with the split album In nome dell'amore, he had ventured towards more ambitious artistic goals. With this Mojo, available only on platforms and not physically, as if to mark a further detachment from signing sessions and major label logics, Britti finally reaches what he had always pursued in his heart. We hope, giving the album a well-deserved 4 stars, that the Roman continues on this "magic."